Machine gun



Jan. 1,

G. HgxzaL ron MACHINE GUN Filed July 30, 19:20 r

Sheds-Sheet l MMMx G. HAZELTON MACHINE Gun in d July so, 1920 Jan 1, 1924 2 sheets-met a Patented Jan. 1, 1924. I

UNITED s'raras enema PATENT OFFICE.

m], OF BATE-m LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNOB T0 VIOKEBB mm, 0! WES'I'IINBTEB, LONDON, ENGLLND.

ncnnm GUN.

Application ma m 30,1920. Serial llo. 400,263.

(GB-ANTED UNDER rm: PBOVISIOIS OF THE ACT OF HAD-CK 3, 1921, 41 STAT. L, 1313.)

Toallwhomitmagfiooncem: I

Be it knownt at I, Gnonen Haznmox, a subject of the Kin of Great Britain, residing at R. A. F. hops, Kirtling Street, 6 Battersea, in the county of London, England, have invented certain new and use ful Improvements Relating to Machine Guns (for which I haveobtained a paten in Great Britain, Serial No. 131,343, August 10 28th, 1919), of which the following s a specification.

This invention rovides a device for registering and in icating the number of rounds fired by a machine gun.

With machine guns mounted on aircraft and other moving platforms it is particularly necessary for the 'er to know the number of rounds alrea y fired when about to engage in aerial or other combat in order so that e shall not find himself suddenly run out of ammunition.

It has heretofore been proposed to operate a counting a paratus provided on a fire arm by means 0 the hammer thereof or by 28 the pull of the trigger or by-the recoil of the un, by the inertia of a lever provided on t e gun, this lever being under the control of a sprin which is armed during the recoil and on t e forward movement operso ates a pawl engaging a ratchet forming part of a counting device, the ratchet'being driven forward one tooth for each complete cycle of operations of the gun.

The invention consists in the combination with a machine gun of 'a rounds counteroperated froma reciprocating art of the gun by the interposition of a device comprising a spring push rod or the like, the

' spring or t e like bei armed'during the 40 recoiling movement of t e parts of the gun and efiectin on the return movement o the parts 0 the gun the rotation of the v counter elements.

The accompanying drawin the invention applied to two of machine guns, Figures 1 and 2 being an end elevation and a sectional elevation on the line A-A of Fig. 1 illustrating the invention as applied to the Vickers machine gun, and Fi res 3, 4 and 5 end elevation, verted p an in part section illustrating the invention applied to the Browning gun,

illustrate own types art sectional elevation and in similar parts being indicated by the same reference numeral.

In both constructions the counter 1 with lib its operating mechanism is carried as a unit '5 formed on or carried by'a rod 6 arranged to slide but not rotate within a guide 7 such as by forming the whole or part of the rod of rectangular section to t in a correspondingly sha ed aperture or apertures in the gulde. T e guide is secured such as by a flange 8 and bolts 9 to the back plate, and may as shown pass through an aperture formed in the back plate.

The guide is so positioned on the back plate that the forward end of the rod 6 is in proximity to one of the usual side or recoil plates of the gun, or other sliding ie'ciprocatin part indicated by the reference numera 10, to, which an angle bracket or other abutment 11 is secured, in such a position that with the gun parts in their normal positions at rest, the abutment 11 and forward end of the 'rod 6 are just engaging. A spring 12 is mounted on the rod 6, the forward and backward movements of which are limited by-shoulders or collars 13, 14 engaging the forward end of the guide and a nut 15.closing the rear end of the uide.

e arrangement'of the counter and its 0 era-tin mechanism is so chosen, that in t e recoi stroke of the gun the rearward movement of the abutment 11 forces the rod 6 to the rearcompressing the spring 12 and by means of the rack 5 rotating the segment 4 and shaft 3 without the counter elements being rotated. On the return stroke of the gun, the compressed spring drives the rack 5 forward to rotate the segment 4 and shaft 3 in the reverse direction to rotate the counter elements the required angular amount to change the indicator to the next numeral in the well known way of counters. B this means the very quick and owerfu blow of the recoil is not allowe to be transmitted to the counter mechanism. a 7

It will be observed that by turnin down the back late and drawing back t e rod 6 by han the rear of the n is unobstructed, so that the parts of t e un which are customarily withdrawn an inserted fromthe rear end can be so dealt with.

Referring now 'toFigures 3 to 5 a bracket 16 is shrunk or otherwise secured to the casing 17 of the buffer carried by the back plate 2, and to this bracket is secured the counter l and a guide 18- for the rack 5, rod

, 6 and spring 12, the rack meshing with a toothed segment 4 on the shaft 3 of the counter as hereinbefore described.

" The forward end of the rod '6 is arran ed to be normally flush with the inner ace ;0f=t'h e back plate, a collar 13 being provided i to'limit the forward movement of the rod 25' 1 an inspection of Figure 4.

Attached to an existing reciprocating part to this extent, as it will be readily seen by 19 of the gun such as by the pin 20 1s a bent rod 21, guided by passing through a plate 22 which is drilled for'this purpose, the rear end of'the rod with the gun parts in their normal position of rest, just engaging the forward end of the rod 6.

The operation of the counter takes lace in a manner similar to that above described.

What I' claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is I 11 In a machine gun, the combination with a part of the gun moving automatically during firing, of a counter, a member interposed betwem said part and said counter a spring operating to effect movement of this member, during the return of the moving parts of the gun to the firing position after recoil, ,to operate the counter and means for arming said spring during the recoil movement of said movin part.

2. In a machine gun of the arrel recoiling type, the combination with a reciprocating part of the gun, of a counter, amember interposed between said part and said counter and a spring operating on said member to effect movement of this member, during the forward movement of the barrel after recoil, to operate the counter.

3.- In a machine gun of the barrel recoiling type, the combination with a reciprocating part of the gun, of a counter, a member connected to said counter'and arran ed in loose contact with said part so that t e latter moves said member rearwards during recoil vof the barrel, and a spring operating on said member to efi'ect movement of this member, during the forward movement of the barrel after recoil, to operate the counter.

4. In a machine gun of the barrel recoil ing type, the combination with a reciprocating part of the gun, of a counter, a rack member arranged in loose contact with sa d part, a gear element which meshes with said rack member and is attached to the shaft;

of the counter and a spring operatingon said member to efl'ect movement of this.

' I GEORGE'HAZEILTON.

In-testimony-whereof I aflix my signa- 

